By Paul Kulwik
At the Charlton County Board of Commissioners Meeting held on July 17th, in a packed room, Georgia State Patrol Trooper Justin Jones, while assisting Waycross Police Dept. with a traffic stop that escalated into a high-speed pursuit on Swamp Road, lost control of his patrol car while executing a PIT maneuver, a law enforcement tactic used to stop a fleeing vehicle by causing it to spin out and stop. Trooper Jones’s vehicle left the roadway, flipped his vehicle, and then entered a creek before coming to rest submerged in water.
Other troopers and officers rapidly pulled Trooper Jones from his submerged vehicle and immediately began CPR for eight minutes and additional life-saving measures, including being airlifted to Memorial Trauma Center in Savannah for critical care treatments.
Trooper Jones received a Proclamation for demonstrating unwavering courage, dedication and selflessness in service, to protect the citizens of Charlton County and beyond.
Charlton County’s own Chief Deputy Kenny Jones was also recognized for his dedication with more than 40 years service in law enforcement, most of which were here in our county. Over the course of his incredible career, Chief Deputy Jones has worked tirelessly across all aspects of criminal investigations.
His service includes traffic enforcement, narcotics, and homicides and has represented Charlton County with distinction while serving on federal and state joint task forces including the U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Admin., and Bureau of Tobacco, Firearm, and Explosives.
In 1986 while heroically responding to a bank robbery in Folkston, Chief Deputy Jones nearly lost his life after sustaining multiple stab wounds, an act of valor for which he was later awarded the Purple Heart and a Valor Pin Commendation.
In 1988, while apprehending a suspect on Burnt Fort Road, he was dragged and run over by a vehicle yet still pursued and captured the individuals responsible.
Both men have shown amazing courage, dedication, bravery as well as their families for their unwavering support and sacrifice, which enables them to protect the public.
And please let us not forget all of our first responders including fire and E.M.S. for they are all Heroes. Make sure to thank them all for their service.
